BBQ, El Yunque, Cabo Rojo, Bacardi Factory, and B-day Party and full moon drum circle :)

Amy and I drove up to Doel’s house in the afternoon, and the person who greeted us was a bundle of smiles and charisma. He was super friendly and not the stereotype image I had of a Puerto Rican man. He told me that as it was Election Day we were heading of to a friend of his BBQ up in the mountains to follow the elections on TV. The though of not even knowing him and going to a party with all of his friends made me a little nervous, but I was happy to be invited, and to get an insight into Puerto Rican life.

We headed out of Levittown and one hour later we arrived at his friend’s house. It was gorgeous, a little house in the mountains with a separate BBQ (recreation) area. Few people had arrived, which made me feel more at ease, that way I could get to talk to one by one, and also have time to get to know Doel. I was expecting all their women to be preparing the food, but to my wonderful surprise it was the men who all got their hands dirty. They let the women sit back and relax, whilst they served one dish after the other, all tasting exquisite. As my mouth received one explosion of taste after the other, I spoke to some wonderful people. Conversing with them was easy, and they were all so very welcoming to me.

As the day passed, I got the chance to know my host Doel. The conversation between us was very easy, and chilled. It was like meeting an old friend that I had not seen in a long time. He was not only kind, and generous, but the perfect gentleman, intelligent, with a great sense of humour. He explained a many things about his people and his culture, what makes them tick and not, and also plenty about himself. His openness was refreshing, and it was great to have someone I could speak so freely, and openly. The hours at the BBQ passed to fast, the constant flow of conversation, food and laughter made the hours fly by.

The last hour at the BBQ was spent on the swings with Doel, and one of his friend’s daughters talking about geography and the world. The little girl made sure that I knew that in Norway we make snowmen!!!!!! It was so charming, such a smart little girl, who has never seen snow in her life, but yet she knew it was cold in Norway and that we have snow. It always amazes me the things kids know about other countries and cultures.

Doel and I were the last to leave the BBQ, and everyone left defeated, as their party did not win the elections this year. We drove home, but could not go straight to sleep as the fountain of conversation was still flowing. Doel was kind enough to put the hammock up on the terrace for me, so we could have a night cap there. Doel kept impressing me with his knowledge, and his life experience. When the night fell I went to bed and thought that my stay with Doel could be nothing less than grand.

A few days later Doel and I headed down to the most western point of Puerto Rico to stay with his friends Brenda in Cabo Rojo, or more accurately in La Parguera. La parguera is a pearl of natural beauty, and where a lot of the marine biologist students are found due to its rich fauna and flora. Brenda was kind enough to lend us her spare bedroom with plenty of beds in it, so we could explore the area for some days,

Whilst in Cabo Rojo we went to the Playa Sucia (Dirty beach) to relax at the beach. I have no idea how it got its name which makes it sound very unappealing, but maybe a good thing for those who do go there, as this place is not crowded with tourist at all. The water is quite shallow, and clean and warm. Just the view surrounding you whilst floating in the water is impressive enough to make you forget time and place. One of the spectacular views is the Faro (lighthouse) situated up on the cliff, and of course this is a prime sight for taking those spectacular sunset photos.

After hours of soaking up sand and water we found a little village to have lunch, here we ate the traditional Puerto Rican dish Mofongo, which consists of plantains and meat. It is lovely, especially when served in a proper Mofongo plate of tree.
Doel and I are both keen photographers (him “slighty” more professional than me ;)), so we headed for the cliffs after feeding to capture the moment. The light and the view were wonderful, and we both shot plenty of good photos of the rays of sun hitting the sea and the sun disappearing into the horizon. It was a wonderful even though the bugs ate me alive, but that is just a small price to pay for one of the worlds wonders.

In the evening we enjoyed Brenda’s company over a bottle of wine, and speaking to her made me understand that Puerto Rican’s all go to university, they are very studious and very competitive on the job market. I don’t think I have ever met so many people with a master degree or higher! Brenda is lovely, great girl with a big personality, a wonderful humour and a love for animals proven by the fact that she took in a stray cat with one leg that is completely stiff, and called it Leggy  The cat is a one man show for laughs, as it looks like it is playing the guitar when scratching itself.

The next morning we headed back to San Juan, with a pit stop in Ponze to look at the giant fish and pelicans down at the port. In the evening Doel had been invited to a b-day party so I was asked to come along too  it was great seeing how all his friends enjoyed themselves. It was a very relaxed and laid back atmosphere with people inside and outside the house chatting to people, and mingling constantly. Doel even filled me in on one of the little dramas that was going on right before my eyes between a guy and 3 girls. It was fun to sit on the outside watching.

On the Wednesday after a few days of relax and shopping, Doel and I headed for Puerto Rico’s only rainforest; El Yunque. We headed up the trail to reach the Mirador (viewpoint). It was a longish trek thought a humid tropical forest with wonderful insects, animals and plants surrounding us on all sides. It was a wonderful experience to walk though such a forest and even though it is a tourist attraction it was quiet and peaceful. When we reached the top it was foggy and cold, we found some rocks to lie down on, had some food, and decided to wait it out, and see if the fog would lift to admire the view. Thankfully the fog finally lifted for a few moments and I was able to capture a few photos before the area around the peak was all covered in white again.

After the trek up the mountain, we made a downward trek to a gorgeous waterfall also inside the Yunque national park. The waterfall has a long drop, and is surrounded by lush forest. Unfortunately I chickened out to go swimming in it, mainly because of the cold, but also due to the amount of people already in the little lagoon. Doel made the suggestion to head further up the river to find a better spot there to go for a dip, so off we went. Doel got in quite quickly but I chickened out again after dipping my toe in the water and loosing all feeling in it for a few minutes.

Thankfully the Thursday was a little less exhausting as we went to the Bacardi factory for a tour and free samples. I presume I don’t even have to say that I did not chicken out at all when it came to the sampling…… hahahaha. Doel and I got a little happy to say the least, so we ended up staying for a few hours chatting away over the lovely taste of Bacardi. The tour was brilliant; it was free, and very good. Definitely well worth seeing when in San Juan. The history behind the Bacardi family having to leave Cuba, and how they first chose their logo the bat is very interesting. The bat logo was actually chosen to the fact of there being a colony of bats living in the factory, and in those days in Spain a bat meant good luck.

On the Thursday evening Doel took me to a full moon drum circle on the beach. It was marvellous! People had built a bonfire and played African drums and a didgeridoo. The rhythm was hypnotising, and people were dancing, talking or just sitting there in silence taking in the power of the full moon and the music that was flowing. Me and Doel sat on the outside of the main circle, but never the less it was a fantastic evening that all ended in a prayer thanking the moon and the gods.

Another week had passed and I was getting ready for my weekend getaway with Simon and Friends at Vieques.

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